FISHERMEN, farmers and ranchers who do not own businesses but need financial assistance may be eligible to receive $500 in cash assistance through the Building Optimism Opportunities and Stability Together or BOOST Program.
In a press conference at the Bank of Saipan on Wednesday, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres encouraged fishermen, farmers and ranchers to apply for the subsistence stimulus.
Each eligible individual will get $500.
Interested applicants must submit a photo, video, letter of reference or other testimonial documents indicating that they are farmers or fishermen.
The governor’s chief of staff, William Castro, said the program does not discriminate anyone in terms of ethnicity, religion, social status or political preference.
“The BOOST program is blind to such qualifications,” he said, adding that the application form does not require an individual to indicate such affiliations.
The governor said he is not personally involved in the approval of the applications. There is a panel of reviewers whose members are with the Bank of Saipan and the CNMI Department of Commerce.
Torres said when the federally funded BOOST program was first implemented, he met with various community members and business owners to see how the program was helping them. He said he learned that some individuals did not qualify as business owners or commercial farmers but were in a different individual category.
“We want to help as many people as possible and we are trying to close the gap so that everyone can get assistance,” Torres said.
Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Anthony Benavente said the subsistence stimulus will help those who, for example, need to fix a fence on their farm or purchase materials to fix their boat.
Aside from the $500 subsistence assistance, BOOST also offers a grant opportunity to fishermen, farmers and ranchers who operate a commercial business or is engaged in commercial trading.
Castro said as of Wednesday, they had already received more than 1,000 applications for the BOOST Program.
“No submitted application has been rejected so far,” he added.
Individuals or businesses that have deficiencies in their applications are assisted by a BOOST team from the Bank of Saipan, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Finance.
“We make sure they get the help they need so they can complete whatever it is that they lack in their application,” Castro said.
The $12 million BOOST Program is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
From Nov. 18 to Dec. 18, 2022, applications for the fishermen, farmers and ranchers program and the subsistence stimulus can be submitted to the Bank of Saipan.
The last day to submit BOOST applications from other businesses is on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.
For more information, call the Bank of Saipan at (670) 235-6260.
Standing, from left, MANGO volunteers Shawna Babauta, Franco Santos, Saipan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kimberly Camacho, Start Up business owners Ashley Pangelinan and Tiara Deleon Guerrero. Seated, from left, Bank of Saipan Loan Manager Karen Kalen, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Anthony Benavente.
